Attaching bottoms and tops to sheet-metal vessels



(No Model.) y

. G. W. KNAPP.

ATTAGHING BOTTOMS AND TOPS To SHEET METAL vEss LE. No. 251.896.'Patented'Jan. 3,l882.

Win/asses Jnrenibof:

' Fig. 3 is a side view'of same finished. Fig. 4

, the construction of seams for uniting the bot- UNITED STATES GEORGEW'. KNAPP, OF'BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PATENT OFFICE.

ATTACHING BOTTOMS AND TOPS TO SHEET-METAL VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,896, dated January3, 1882.

Application filed September 27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom di may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. KNAPP, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore and State ofMaryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in AttachingBottoms and Tops to Sheet-Metal Vessels; and 1 do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being bad to theaccompanyingdrawings,and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in toms or tops to the bodies ofsheet-metal vessels. The particular nature of the improvement and thepracticalapplication ot the same to various descriptions of sheet-metalvessels will first be described,and then the invention will bedesignated in the claims.

In the drawings liereto annexed,Figure 1 is a vertical section of aflaring pan. Fig. 2 is a partly-sectional view of a cylindrical vesselprevious to the attachment of the bottom.

is a side view of a can-body ready for the attachment of the bottom andtop. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a vessel, showing a modification inthe shape of the parts which form the scam, the parts being in positionready for forming the seam. Fig. 6' is a partly-sectional View of samefinished.

The letter A designates the body of the vessel, which may be flaring,like the pan shown in Fig. 1, ora straight-sided cylinder, such as isshown in the other figures. An annular groove, b,is formed upon theouter side of the body of the vessel, about the edge where the bottom isto beattached. This grooveis formed by rollers, which press the partwhere the groove is formed within the plane of the outer wall of thebody, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and thus forms upon theinnersideofthehody an inward projecting shoulder, a. By this means the innerdiameter of the body where the bottom is to be attached is lessened toan extent equal to just double the dimensions of theinward-pressedgroove,considered in crosssection; and this lessening of the internaldiameter of the body and the formation of the exterior groove allows theuseot' acorrespondingly smaller bottom, as will be seen.

The bottom E is a sheet-metal diskst-amped up in such form as to leave aradially-project ing flange, e, and an annular shoulder, f, adjoiningthe radial flange. Theannularshoulder should have such form as willcorrespond to or coincide with the form of the inner side part of theinward-projecting shoulder 0 on the body. The bottom is placed inposition with its annular shoulder setting within the end of the body ofthe vessel and in contact with the rounded edge of the inward-projecting shoulder. Fig. 2 shows the body and bottom in the position justdescribed. These parts are now chucked in a lathe, and by means of asuitabl y grooved roller, G, which is brought to bear against theradially-projecting flange 0 while the vessel is turning, the saidflange of the bottom is rolled or spun over into the groove b of thebody, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and occupies the said groove in theform of a roll.

By this construction of the joint a cheap quality or low grade of tinmay be used withoutliabilit-yot' breaking the sheet metal,as the form ofthe flange when finished-thatof a roll--and the necessary operation toproduce that form are very easyon the sheetinetal; and in this roll formof flange and the groove into which the roll is turned or fitted thereis no exposure of the raw or cut, edge of the bottom or top, since it isturned entirely inward toward the body. l urthermore, a slight saving isefi'ected in the size of the blank from which the bottom is cut. and bythus cutting a smaller blank from the sheet-tin a larger number ofbottoms may be got out of each sheet, which results in a very importanteconomy in manufacturing large numbers.

Another advantagein cylindricalorstraightsided work, likefruit-ca.ns,lies in the fact that no part ofthe beaded seam or theturned-over flange ot' the bottom ortop extends beyond the plane of theouter wall of the body, (see Fig. 3,) and cans or vessels possessingthis feature pack for shipment to great advantage in cases or boxes.

A modification in the form of the seam is I shown in Figs. 5 and 6,where the groove as first fonned in the body is square or angular incross-section, instead of semicircular. In this form of groove theradiallyprojecting flange is first rolled or spun over bya groovedroller or other device until the edge of the square-shaped groove hasalso been partly turned up, and then by the application of a flatfacedroller the beaded seam is flattened down and compressed within thesquare shaped groove, so that, as in the case of the beaded seam of thesemicircular groove, no part extends beyond the planeot' the outerwallof the body. (See Fig. 6.)

It will be understood my invention is applicable to vessels which haveeither or both hottoms or tops to be attached, and to vessels which aresmall at the bottom and time outward at the top, like that shown in Fig.1,0r

desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States 1. A sheet-metalvessel with its head or end i and of the body, substantially as shownand described. I v

2. A sheet-metal vessel with its head or end joined to the body by acoiled seam, this seam being so located and placed that a portion of itshall be embraced within the lines of the headand the body and occupy aspace in the interior of the vessel, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony whereof I at'fix my s gnature in presence of two witnesses.i

' GEORGE W. KNAPP.

Witnesses:

' CHAS. B. MANN,

W. A. NUMsEN.

